Table of contents for TAK2535 in Take 5

The older I get, the more I realise age really is just a number. Several of my closest friends are almost a decade older than me and we get along great, until they start singing Meatloaf songs I’ve barely heard! My parents, have a nine-year age gap. Mum is forever a ‘cougar’ to my sisters and me for snagging our younger dad. They both say time apart keeps them together. Mum can’t sit still, pottering in the garden, while Dad can watch a movie without a break! That’s why I loved Jade’s story on page 10. When she met Miki, who was 20 years her senior, she felt such a connection, their age gap was irrelevant! I’m sure any marriage isn’t easy, but I believe if a couple love each…

Australia’s most travelled family are sharing their thrifty tips Julie Brown, 38, Picton, NSW. Sitting in my living room, I groaned in disbelief. It was July 2020 and the family holiday to Disney World we’d booked after years of saving had just been cancelled due to COVID. “What are we going to do?” I cried to my husband Josh, 32. “Maybe this could be a good time to tick off our Australia bucket list instead?” he suggested. “That’s not a bad idea,” I said, smiling. Josh and I got together at 15 during a school trip to Japan and had been keen travellers ever since. We were two of the first members to join Club Jetstar when it launched in 2013. It gave us exclusive access to sales, letting us…

Growing up can be tough, and for many of us, it’s tied to memories of feeling pressure to fit a certain body type. Thankfully, the conversation around body image is shifting, but there’s still plenty more we can do. Body image activist and filmmaker Taryn Brumfitt has spent years helping people feel more comfortable in their own skin. She’s written several books on body positivity, including the parenting guide, Embrace Kids. Taryn says we need to understand that fat is just another part of our bodies. “It’s a three-letter word that wields so much power,” she explains. “And we’ve got to take the power from it and help kids acknowledge through our language, the celebration of all the different shapes and sizes and abilities of bodies. It’s a beautiful thing,…

On a quiet spring morning in 2016, the Spanish island of Majorca was shattered by an unspeakable horror. Inside a modest flat in the sleepy town of Sant Llorenç, police uncovered a scene so grotesque it would haunt them for years. Blood pooled across the tiled floor, a kitchen knife lay discarded nearby, and the family’s American Staffordshire bull terrier paced nervously, its muzzle stained red. Horst Hans Henkels, a 66-year-old German retiree, lay lifeless in the living room, his body grotesquely altered – arms stripped to the bone, chunks of flesh missing. Slumped nearby was his wife, 46-year-old Svetlana Batukova, her eyes glazed and movements sluggish. The air reeked of alcohol, mingling with the metallic tang of blood. Officers had visited the flat many times before. Over two years,…

Mexican chorizo and corn potato topper SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 25 MINS 4 x 200g washed potatoes 1 tsp Mexican spice blend 2 chorizo (200g), finely chopped 120g haloumi, crumbled 1 small green capsicum, finely chopped 125g can corn, drained 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, extra sprigs to garnish ½ cup chunky Mexican salsa Sour cream, hot chilli sauce, corn chips, lime wedges, to serve 1 Arrange potatoes around the edge of a microwave turntable. Microwave on High for 10 mins, or until tender. Cool slightly. Flatten warm potatoes with the base of a heatproof glass until 2cm thick. 2 Spray a 7-litre air fryer basket with olive oil. Place potatoes in basket. Spray with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Air fry on 200C for 10 mins…

Bridie Morley, 48, Humpty Doo, NT. Sitting at my desk, I focused on my screen as a new job came through. Since 2023, I’d worked as the Territory Deployment Manager for St John Ambulance across the Northern Territory. I’d been a paramedic for 24 years. My role involved sitting in the communication centre and deciding what resources were needed for all the triple 0 calls across the NT. This time, it was a call from a man who’d come off his bike in remote scrubland. I glanced at the GPS coordinates, then looked at the map and raised my eyebrows. “That’s on my property,” I said aloud. My husband, Nic, 50, our son Beau, 12, daughter Jessie, nine, and I lived on a 180-acre property in Humpty Doo. The accident…

We’re Australia’s oldest living married couple Delma Murray, 100, Newcastle, NSW. The good-looking boy with the twinkling blue eyes cracked a joke and everyone laughed. “He’s rather forward,” I said to my friend Kevin. “Oh, Frank’s a laugh a minute,” he said. I wasn’t so sure. It was 1939 and I’d gone to Kevin’s 16th birthday party at his mum’s house. Frank was Kevin’s old neighbour. I was 15 and Frank was a year older. We were total opposites. He had a cheeky demeanour and was the life and soul of the party, while I was very shy and reserved. But there was something about him that drew me in, so I went to watch him play football on the weekends. “There she is, I knew you couldn’t resist me,”…

I had a fiancé and two kids… but Miki turned my whole world upside down Jade Foreman, 36. Pulling open the pub door, I spotted a serious-looking woman leaning on the bar. I assumed she was the barmaid. “Do you have any job vacancies?” I asked. “Possibly,” she said. “Give me your number and I’ll be in touch.” A few days later, I started working there as a waitress. It turned out Miki was the owner and, although she’d seemed intimidating at first, I soon realised she was a blast. Her inappropriate jokes cracked me up and the banter between us was brilliant. We also had a shared love for music. At 47, she was 20 years older than me, but I’d always had an older head on my shoulders,…

I know how to find people’s true colours Latisha Sykes, 28, Brisbane, Qld. Opening up my emails, I was excited to see a message titled, Latisha’s Colours. Days earlier, I’d sent photos of myself to a colour analyst to help understand what colour clothes and accessories suited me most. I’d discovered colour analysis on social media and was instantly intrigued. Fashion and creativity had always been in my blood. Growing up on a farm in central Queensland, my parents nicknamed me Paris Hilton for insisting on stylish outfits, even when trudging through mud. Now living in Brisbane and working FIFO as a dump truck driver, I was craving some style and self-expression in my downtime. I’ve found your season, the analyst wrote. You’re an autumn. Her email explained that I…

Singapore noodles with chicken SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 35 MINS 2 tbsp peanut oil 500g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced 4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated 1 tbsp curry powder 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 375g thin fresh egg noodles 100g snow peas, trimmed Sliced long red chilli, to serve SAUCE 1⁄3 cup chicken stock 2 tsp brown sugar 2 tsp soy sauce 1 In a wok or large frying pan, heat half oil on high. Stir-fry chicken in two batches, 3-4 mins each, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate. 2 Heat remaining oil in wok on medium. Stir-fry white part of onions 1 min. Add curry powder and garlic and stir-fry 30 sec. Return chicken to wok, tossing to coat. 3 In…

VIRGO Aug 24 -Sep 23 A New Moon in your sign will help you reset and refocus. You may also experience a heightened awareness of the patterns you need to break and the new ones you need to adopt. Try not to get too stuck in the details of what that is. ★ Experiment with doing you differently! LIBRA Sept 24 -Oct 23 Now that your personal planet is visiting your Friends Zone, it’s time to catch up with those you’ve not had the chance to in a while. Personal or professional, rub shoulders with those who can open doors for you. ★Other people can be a special source of luck! SCORPIO Oct 24 -Nov 22 It’s your time to be seen in your best light at work or in…

..I was drenched in lighter fluid and set on fire for spending my own money Kari Rouse, 39. As the midwife placed my newborn son on my chest, my heart swelled with love. “You’re perfect,” I whispered, kissing him. A year earlier, during a brief fling, I’d fallen pregnant. When I told the father, he wasn’t happy. “I have a girlfriend,” he confessed. “You’ll have to put it up for adoption.” I was devastated. “No way,” I replied defiantly. Eventually, he agreed to contribute – but on one condition. “You can’t tell anyone I’m the father,” he said. It wasn’t ideal, but I wanted my baby to be supported. “Okay,” I agreed. As my belly grew, he sent parcels of baby supplies. It gave me hope. But after my son…

When disaster struck, my brave little girl channelled her TV hero April Connor, 33. Walking into the living room, I smiled at my daughter, Nevaeh, nine, snuggled up with my fiancé, Andrew, on the sofa. They were glued to The Walking Dead, eyes wide as zombies shuffled across the screen. “You two are obsessed,” I teased, plonking down beside them. Judith Grimes was Nevaeh’s favourite character – adventurous, brave, with great survival instincts. “She’s just like you,” I grinned at my girl. A few weeks later, I’d realise just how true that was. It was April this year when a huge storm smashed through our area. The wind howled so loudly it rattled the windows, thunder cracked like gunfire, and lightning lit up the sky. Nevaeh didn’t bat an eyelid.…

Caramel apple self-saucing pudding SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 1 HOUR 1¼ cup self-raising flour ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar 100g butter, melted  1 egg, beaten lightly  ½ cup milk  ¼ cup golden syrup  385g can Apple Slices Pie Fruit, chopped  Icing sugar, ice-cream to serve 1 Lightly grease 6-cup capacity ovenproof dish. 2 In a large bowl, combine flour and ¼ cup sugar. Add combined butter, egg, milk, golden syrup and apple, stirring well. Spoon into dish. 3 Sprinkle remaining ½ cup sugar over pudding mixture. Carefully pour over 2 cups boiling water. 4 Cook in a 180°C preheated oven for 40 mins, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 5 Dust with icing sugar. Serve with ice-cream. TOP TIP Canned apple can be replaced…

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